Vacuum container



July 7, 1936. V J H QNEIL 2,046,923

VACUUM CONTAINER Filed March 23, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 7, 1936. 4 J. H. ONEIL 2,046,923

VACUUM CONTAINER Filed March 25, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v the same.

Patented July 7, 1936 UNITED STATES PTENT OFFliTE VACUUM CONTAINER Application March 23, 1935, Serial No. 12,690

2 Claims.

The invention relates to a vacuum container and more in particular to improvements on the type of container described in Letters Patent 1,820,481 granted to James H. ONeil, August 25, 1931. In the above-entitled patent, improvements in a container of the vacuum type have been set forth. The container is provided with means located in the cover whereby a vacuum may be first drawn upon the container, said container being subsequently closed by a compressing of the parts of the cover against a rub ber sealing gasket for hermetically sealing the seam. An object of the present invention, is to provide a container of the above type wherein the members which form the means for compressing the rubber gasket are separate and unattached whereby the gasket may be compressed With greater case than heretofore set forth.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container of the above type wherein the rubber sealing gasket is completely housed within the sealing members and thus protected from coming into contact with the contents of the container.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and in part be more fully disclosed.

Referring to the drawings: Fig. 1 is a view in vertical section of the improved container showing the parts assembled before the gasket has been compressed.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l but showing the gasket compressed after vacuumization of the container.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing the position of the parts before .vacuumization of the container.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the closing member for the container.

Fig. 5 is a View partially in side elevation and partially in section of the container showing the chuck and expanding roll employed to compress the sealing gasket.

Fig. 6 is a view in vertical section of a slightly modified form of container.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 but showing the gasket compressed after vacuumization of the container.

The invention relates particularly to a container of the vacuum type wherein avacuum is drawn upon said container before finally sealing The container comprises a body portion having an end member seamed thereto, said end member having an opening therethrough, the metal surrounding said opening being bent laterally and shaped so as to form a recess having substantially parallel walls. A sealing gasket is adapted to flt within said recess between the parallel walls. A closure member having a flange is provided for said opening, the flange of said closure member being so dimensioned as to have frictional contact with one of the vertical walls formed by the recess. The flange is provided at intervals with venting passages for permitting the air to escape between the flange and the wall with which it contacts. When the vertical walls which form the recess are compressed after a vacuum has been drawn upon the container, the venting passages will be closed and the sealing gasket tightly compressed for hermetically sealing the container and sustaining a vacuum therein.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, a container embodying improvements is indicated at i, said container comprising a body portion 8 having an end member 9 joined thereto by the usual double seam E8. The end member 9 is provided with an opening II therethrough and has the metal surrounding said opening bent laterally and downwardly so as to form a recess I 2 adjacent the opening in the cover. The recess I2 is defined by the vertical parallel walls I3 and I4. A closure member I5 is provided for said end member, said closure member I5 having a flange l6 which is adapted in the preferred form of the invention to have frictional contact with the vertical wall I3 of the recess.

The closure member I5 is shaped so as to be provided at intervals with venting passages I'I through which air may escape between the flange and wall with which it contacts when a vacuum is drawn upon the container.

A sealing gasket I8 is provided for the end member and is so dimensioned as to fit within the recess and be housed between the flange l6 of the closure member and the vertical wall I3 of the end member. When pressure is applied to the outer faces of the parallel walls I3 and M, the venting passages I! will be closed and the gasket I8 will be compressed within the recess and an hermetic seal will be established for sustaining a vacuum within the container.

In Figs. 3 and 5 of the drawings, the manner in which the vertical walls of the recess are compressed is more or less diagrammatically shown. An outer chuck member I9 is used which is adapted to have contact with the outer face of the vertical wall I3. An inner split expanding member 20 is first placed within the central recess of the container and is adapted to contact with the wall I4. The split expanding member has cam faces 2! and a cam rod 22. As the cam rod 22 is forced downwardly, the end thereof will ride along the cam faces 2[ and expand the two outwardly so that the wall I4 and the wall 13 of the recess will gradually and progressively be compressed toward each other for closing the venting passages in the closing member and squeezing the gasket tightly into place.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings, the closure member I is adapted to have frictional engagement with the inner wall i l of the recess and the sealing gasket 58 is so dimensioned as to surround the flange 16 of the closure member so that when the walls of the recess are compressed, a similar closure will be effected to that referred to as the preferred form of the invention.

From the above it will be apparent that a container has been devised wherein a vacuum may be drawn after the end member has been doubleseamed to the container body, and wherein the parts which are assembled to accomplish this means are simple in construction and an easy hermetic seal may be efiected.

It will be noted in the preferred form of the invention that the sealing gasket which is preferably of rubber is completely housed within the recess and protected by the closure member against contact with the contents of the container. This is a decided improvement over applicants prior patent as the gasket might doteriorate and the container leak should it become attacked by the chemical action of the contents of the container.

It is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction and the arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A container comprising a body portion having an end member seamed thereto, said container end having an opening therethrough, a closure member for said opening, one of said members being bent laterally and shaped to form a recess having substantially parallel vertical walls, the other member being bent laterally to provide a projecting flange adapted to extend vertically into said recess and frictionally engage one of the walls thereof, said flange being shaped at intervals to provide venting passages for permitting air to escape between the flange and the Wall with which it contacts, a rubber ring gasket located in said recess between the flange and the other wall and dimensioned so as to initially provide a space through which air may pass,

.said walls of the recess being disposed so that the pressure may be applied to the same for forcing one of said'walls toward the other for causing the rubber ring to be compressed against the flange and the container thus hermetically sealed.

2. A container comprising a body portion having an end member seamed thereto, said container end having an opening therethrough, a closure member for said opening, one of said members being bent laterally and shaped to form a recess having substantially parallel vertical walls, the other ally to provide a projecting flange adapted to extend vertically into said recess and frictionally engage one of the walls thereof, said flange being shaped at intervals to provide venting passages for permitting air to escape between the flange and the wall with which it contacts, a rubber ring gasket located in said recess be tween the flange and the other wall and dimensioned so as to initially provide a space through which air may pass, said walls of the recess being disposed so that the pressure may be applied to the same for forcing one of said walls toward the other for causing the rubber ring to be compressed against the flange and the container thus hermetically sealed, said closure member being so dimensioned as to completely house said rubber ring whereby said ring will be protected from coming into contact with the contents of the container.

JAMES H. ONEIL.

member being bent later- 

